The Comfort of Strangers

Colin and Mary trail through Venice's narrow streets in the shimmering heat of their summer vacation. They speak little, they make love, they dine late, they're not happy, not unhappy. Then late one night, while lost amid twisting back alleys on their way to a café, they encounter an enigmatic Italian named Robert. Inexplicably drawn into Robert's embrace, Colin and Mary lose control over their own lives. Let's just say that this 1981 novella by the award-winning Ian McEwan is as riveting and disturbing as his later work. At first hearing, Simon Prebble sounds relaxed as he reads, conveying the lethargy of overheated summer afternoons. Then, almost imperceptibly, he adds an escalating tension to his tone--not too much, just enough to make the listener nervous. That, and spot-on English, Italian, and American accents make for a masterful performance. A.C.S. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

From the first words Alex Jennings speaks, we experience a distinct sense of unease. His seductive voice draws us into the secret hearts of Colin and Mary. They are on vacation in sultry Venice. They sleep in separate beds. They are bored. They wander carelessly down ancient deserted streets late at night. They keep getting lost. They meet a mysterious stranger who keeps turning up and eventually go home with him. Can they be this innocent? But Colin and Mary are not na•fs. We begin to realize that they are intoxicated by the possibility of danger. Jennings's performance is mesmerizing. McEwan's novella is an offbeat headgame played by two couples--a couple of addled tourists and a couple of dissolute, over-bred Europeans--with grotesque consequences. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine